In the prior art, ski boots, ice skates and roller skates are known. These are essentially characterized by a structure that is somewhat heavy and undoubtedly of a certain dimension, which is the source of various problems.
Firstly, transport to and from the place destined for the exercise of the sporting activity is a problem. Users with cars certainly feel less objective discomfort. However, they are mostly obliged to pick up the boots from the basement and introduce them, as they are and higgledy piggledy, into the trunk of the car. Having arrived at the destination, they have to take the shoes and put them on, which in the meantime, not being heated by the internal heating of the car, will have reached a temperature close to that of the environment.
A first drawback, therefore, is the sudden displacement of the shoes, which being rigid, besides causing noise during the drive and therefore distraction of the driver, can be the cause of slight damage to the internal parts of the trunk or to other objects contained therein.
Secondly, the necessity of being able to put the shoe inside the trunk at least at a lukewarm temperature is known to all. In order to facilitate the fitting and shaping of the shoe, an operation that should be carried out is removing the shoe and introducing it into the cabin of the car, separated by the hull. However, because of the discomfort and complexity of the operation, as both the extraction and the reintroduction is difficult, the majority of people do not do it, adapting themselves instead to wearing the shoes as they are.
Regarding the phase following use, the main drawback is dictated by the fact that the boots are introduced into the trunk of the car dirty and full of snow, notwithstanding that they may be shaken to remove the more consistent parts. If the support surface of the shoe is soaked, one will have persistent humidity on the inside of the ski boot along with the emission of bad odors. This will also take place in the trunk of the car, and also will wet the surrounding objects.
A solution has been proposed by the use of well known technical bags supplied with ski boots or placed on the market as promotional articles. These are formed of a soft container, obtained by sewing a fabric or cloth that is externally elasticized. It is provided, on an upper part, with two robust grip handles and a zipper, generally placed in the center, that allows the total opening of the bag. The necessity of using the bag is dictated above all in those transfers carried out by the use of public transport, e.g. a bus, where the boots can be separated by other luggage amassed in common.
A first drawback is that, because of the stacking of bags together, with the jerks of the bus breakage can be caused, at times irreparable, at least with respect to the cloth of the bags. Secondly, at the end of the use, the boots placed in the bag impregnate at least internally the fabric, contributing to the formation of humidity that persists also inside the boots. Finally, the traditional type of bag, due to the material used, is subjected to getting dirty somewhat frequently, one not being able to clean it with ease.
Regarding storage of the boots during periods of non-use, and not only seasonal periods, one prefers as a rule a tidy arrangement on common shelves or other shelves in general found in the basement of the house. This does not allow, notwithstanding personal attention, the prevention of the shoes from getting dusty. Unavoidably during the period of non-use, dust will form, not only on the outside, but also, and above all, on the inside.
An alternative can consist in providing a suitable cloth or sheet, for example wholly wrapping the row of boots of an average family.
A second and more effective alternative consists in rearranging the boots on the inside of the original packaging. This concerns, in more detail, cardboard boxes of great thickness, obtained by convenient blanks, which realize two half-hulls hinged on one side, the other side providing tabs to allow locking. Along one side of the structure, a retractable handle of plastic material is additionally provided, which facilitates transport.
The drawbacks of this solution consist essentially in the excessive dimensions of the cardboard boxes, as they are structured to accommodate the couple of boots in a position that is extended and opposite according to the more traditional scheme. Secondly, the material of which they are formed does not allow for ordinary transport of the shoes, because wet or even only damp shoes cannot be introduced, requiring the boots therefore to be perfectly dried.
The same drawbacks can be verified for other sporting activities, such as those in which an internal shoe is provided. This is case for example for single blade roller skates or ice skates, e.g. ice hockey, artistic skating, and other activities, where it is common to carry one's own equipment.
In both cases the drawbacks, if compared to the transport solution of the ski boot, are greater, as, when carried in a bag of the traditional type, or one not even rigid, the shoes because of their substructure, will engage on the bottom of the bag in a non-uniform way, stressing only a minimum part of the base of the bag. This naturally causes an incorrect distribution of the load, which above all is free to move on the inside of the bag. In addition to the drawbacks already detected, a recurrent wear of the parts more stressed will result, and because of irregular tension, frequent breakage results, even of the handles.
CH-A-547 066 discloses a multifunction container comprising a hull that is rigid, aerated and formed of plastic material, and a closable access shutter hinged to the hull and provided with locking means and having a handle. This container is realized as a parallelepiped case opening like a suitcase and being able to contain a pair of boots, placed on the same plane, one opposite the other, divided by a diagonal diaphragm to avoid position difficulty. This solution is, however, bulky and not practical, because the boots:
are difficult to insert and remove, because of the opposite placement; and PA1 must be placed or removed from above, increasing the difficulty.